Attacker Jordan Hallam was happy to be back starting for the Iron at the weekend, as the side came from a goal down to take a point against Salford City at the Peninsula Stadium.
The 22-year-old was named in Neil Cox’s starting eleven for the first time since September when he scored in the 1-0 win over Carlisle United but now wants to add a number of appearances to his tally as we head into the last third of the campaign.
“It was really good to get back out there,” he said, talking to iFollow Iron.
“I just had to be patient. I started towards the front of the season, got a little niggle and then there was the break due to the Covid outbreak around the squad, so it’s been good to get back out there. It’s been frustrating, all footballers want to play. Now that I’m back fit, I hope I can stay fit and keep helping the team.
“I thought I did alright (against Salford). I started to really feel it towards the end with not playing for so long, but I enjoyed it and hopefully I can keep playing. It’s about recovering as best as I can so that I can play as many games as possible.
“I’ve been doing extra work trying to strengthen. We’ve had to improvise, doing stuff at home, making your own weights, but hopefully it’ll be a lot easier when the gyms can open up. I’d played an Under-23s game a couple of months ago, but since they’ve all been called off and now cancelled, so my fitness is going to have to come from playing games and hard work on the training ground.”
Abo Eisa’s penalty just before half-time drew the two teams level, with United taking points off promotion-chasing sides for the second game in succession.
“It was a positive result and we dug in well,” he continued.
“I thought we played some good stuff, particularly in the first half. It was a well-earned point. I think if someone had offered us four points from the last two games (against Cambridge and Salford), we would have snatched their hand off. Both performances warranted what we got in the end.”
United next face another team in the mix at the right end of the league table, with Exeter City making the long journey north.
Speaking ahead of the encounter with the Grecians, Hallam said: “It will be tough, but we’re coming into the game off the back of two good results, so hopefully we can kick on and keep pushing up the table.
“There’s a lot more togetherness and there’s a belief that we didn’t have at the start of the season. It’s a positive thing and shows we’ve come a long way.
“Hopefully I can put a run of games together, so my fitness can come. I want to play as much as possible and help the team in any way I can, whether that’s coming off the bench or starting.”
See much more from Jordan Hallam on iFollow Iron. Click here to get your Iron v Exeter City match pass.